This invention relates generally to an improved electrical equipment mount, and one which is particularly designed and constructed to provide for transformers or other electrical equipment to be mounted to its crossarm and arranged facing forwardly to facilitate their installation and maintenance, while enhancing the structural appearance of the assembly in usage.
It has become very desirable as a matter of convenience, and for efficiency, to mount a plurality of electrical components, such as distribution transformers, upon a single cluster mount upon a utility pole. Heretofore, or at least not too many years ago, the common practice was to mount a single transformer upon the utility pole for service in just the immediate area, but now, as can be seen from my prior patent, just previously described, that it becomes more advantageous, primarily from a cost standpoint, to mount a cluster of transformers upon a single electrical equipment mount. When it became in vogue to mount a plurality of such equipment upon a single bracket, and due to the significance of weight of electrical equipment in the category of transformers, prior art mounting apparatuses of this type were devised primarily to provide structural support for such a variety of equipment, and as a result, the apparatuses were then devised by what was considered a design necessity of heavy, press-molded metal plates, such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,694, that issued to R. R. Anderson. While these prior art devices are more than likely effective for the mounting of the numerous electrical equipment attached to them, as a result of the size of the equipment involved, and the structural bulkiness and heaviness of the bracket components, it was a rather difficult if not an altogether burdensome task for a utility man to elevate and attach such mounts to the utility pole. To overcome such a problem, some consideration was given to reducing the component size of such electrical devices, and such is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,151 to D. M. Phillips, wherein a pair of channel braced by elongated angle members are shown.
Earlier consideration was given to weight reduction in the fabrication of such electrical equipment mounts, and such is shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,374,978 to J. L. Salmon, which gave recognition to the advantages that can be obtained by interlocking light weight aluminum parts together into an electrical equipment support, and one that could be easily lifted and suspended from the utility pole by a single worker. It is to be noted that this patent to Salmon also belongs to a common assignee of the prior patent to myself and this current application. Such devices, as shown, are generally constructed of light weight aluminum, and where they sacrifice strength characteristics by being constructed of a lighter weight material, such weakness is easily compensated for through the use of interlocking components that provide added strength to the fabricated equipment mount when assembled. The current invention comprises yet a further improvement upon the prior art teachings in this field of equipment mounts, and not only provides the interlocking relationship for the various components constructed into its mounting, but likewise, gives consideration to the convenience to be obtained from the proper positioning of the transformers upon the cluster mount so that they will generally be oriented usually towards the front of the invention, and thereby facilitate both transformer installation, and maintenance by a single utility man.
It is therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide an improved electrical equipment mount that attains significant strength due to the interlocking relationship of its various components, and which is also constructed in the manner that provides for convenience in the mounting and positioning of the transformers and related electrical equipment towards the front of the cluster mount.
Another object of this invention is to provide a series of connectors that provide for a total interlocking relationship between the crossarm and the transformer mounting pads so that enhanced strength for equipment support is attained even though such components are fabricated from light weight aluminum or similar type materials.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide connector means that hook around and interlock with the beveled ends of a crossarm to provide enhanced locking strength for the mount in the suspension of transformers at these locations.
A further object of this invention is to provide interlocking components for forming an equipment mount and which conveniently disposes such mounted equipment preferably towards the front of the crossarm, thereby facilitating their maintenance, while likewise enhancing the overall component appearance during usage.
Other objects will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the following summary, and upon undertaking a study of the description of the preferred embodiment in view of its drawings.